NT: “If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:1-7‬ ‭CSB)

At the end of the 12th chapter, Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to desire spiritual gifts, but in desiring gifts, they should desire the ones that are not just sensational but helpful to the whole body. Apostles, prophets and teachers help the whole body grow and mature in the Lord. Miracles and gifts of healing help with immediate needs and bring great glory to the Lord. But, as helpful as spiritual gifts are to the Body of Christ and the Glory of God, there is a way that is more exceedingly excellent to pursue.

Far more important than the pursuit of gifts is the pursuing the way of love – love for God, love for the Church, and love for unbelievers outside the Church. The love that Paul spoke about is not brotherly or friendship love. The love that Paul spoke about is the love that can only come from God: agape in Greek. Agape is the selfless, sacrificial, unconditional, others-focused love that God showed us by giving His Son for our sakes. That is the same love that Jesus called His disciples to have for one another… and it is the same love that we are to display to the world. Of the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23, love is listed first, for all the other fruit culminate and are ultimately expressed through love. Spiritual grace gifts are made effective when they are activated through love. Outside of love, whatever gift we operate in will be ineffective and oftentimes harsh noise. The Corinthian church wanted gifts so that they could have prominence… so that they could have a voice… so that they could be recognized over others. That is not love. I remember having to confront a young woman many years ago for her lack of love. She believed that she had the gift of prophecy and would often give very harsh and condemning words to people. Her words were not convicting nor edifying – they were cruel and condemning – because she was not using her “gift” in love. It seems that many who claim to be “Christian” have forgotten these few verses from 1 Corinthians 13. For some reason we have come to believe, that in order to be heard over the noise, we must be harsh, offensive and unloving as we proclaim the “truth.” However, according to Paul, by engaging with world in that way, we are simply adding to the noise and reducing our effectiveness. Not only that, we fail to represent Christ and give Him a bad name. Were Paul to have written this passage in our day, he might have written, “If we post on social media and have 10,000 likes… if we become a talking head on a news show and have millions of followers, but do not have love, we just make ourselves obnoxious, irritating and ineffective at leading people to Christ and helping them grow into godly maturity.”

Many people use verses 4-7 as a definition of love. While those verses do describe characteristics of Godly love, Paul wrote those verses to directly confront the Corinthians’ loveless behavior. The issues that Paul was having to confront in the Corinthian church were all the things that love is not. All the problems in the Corinthian church were there, ultimately, because they were not pursuing love. I wonder… how many of the problems that exist in the Church today are there because we 1) are not doing all things out of love for God and His Son Jesus Christ, 2) are not loving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ with the same love that Christ has for us, and 3) are not loving unbelievers in the world with the same love that God showed when He sent His Son? Compare the list of what love is and is not to what the fruit of the Spirit is. The only way that we can love like that is to humble ourselves, become full of the Holy Spirit, and allow His fruit to mature in our lives.

Prayer: Lord, the greatest commandments in Your word are to love You completely, love others as I love myself, and love my brothers and sisters in Christ with the same love You showed me. All the grace gifts that are available in You are useless if they are not wrapped in and delivered with sacrificial, others-focused, Godly love. The only way that I can fully pursue the way of Love is to pursue humility before you and pursue the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Help me, as You fill me and mature me, to do nothing for selfish gain, but do everything out of love. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “That same day King Ahasuerus awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed her relationship to Mordecai. The king removed his signet ring he had recovered from Haman and gave it to Mordecai, and Esther put him in charge of Haman’s estate… Mordecai went from the king’s presence clothed in royal blue and white, with a great gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. The city of Susa shouted and rejoiced, and the Jews celebrated with gladness, joy, and honor… On the day when the Jews’ enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them… All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the royal civil administrators aided the Jews because they feared Mordecai. For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.” (‭‭Esther‬ ‭8:1-2, 15-16; ‭9:1b, 3-4‬ ‭CSB)

Haman’s plan to annihilate the Jews, born out of his disdain and hatred for Mordecai, came back on his own head. Mordecai, instead of fretting and taking matters into his own hands, trusted God to vindicate him and deliver his people – and that is exactly what God did. Through a divinely ordered series of events, Haman was hung on the very gallows he had built to hang Mordecai on. Once Haman’s life was ended, the entire estate of Haman was given to Queen Esther. Mordecai was given the position formally held by Haman, and Mordecai was given charge over Haman’s entire estate. Basically, Mordecai plundered Haman’s title and possessions and inherited all his land. The man that spent his days sitting at the gate became the second-highest ranking official in the empire. Instead of being annihilated, the Jews that were disbursed across the Persian empire were given the opportunity to defend themselves and annihilate their enemies. What the enemy meant for evil, God used to save His people and glorify His name… all because Mordecai and Esther humbled themselves and trusted the Lord.

Psalms: “Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the person who carries out evil plans. Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated — it can only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked person will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will enjoy abundant prosperity.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:7-11‬ ‭CSB)

This section of Psalm 37 describes how Esther and Mordecai reacted to their situation with Haman, and the results of their trust in the Lord. I wonder if the words of this psalm encouraged Mordecai and Esther during those days of fasting and prayer that lead up to their deliverance and subsequent prosperity. As David wrote, and Esther and Mordecai later exemplified, we don’t need to fret over the wicked and the enemy that seeks to destroy us. We simply need to be still before the Lord, trust Him expectantly and hope in Him. God will resist the proud and give grace to the humble – and eventually, the meek and humble will inherit the earth.

Prayer: Lord, the world is full of people who prosper unjustly and get ahead by stepping on the backs of others. As infuriating as that can be, Your word tells me to not fret and get agitated over those things – but to trust in and wait expectantly for You. Help me to not lash out in indignation, but to humble myself and trust You to bring about Your justice. By remaining humble and trusting in You, may You be glorified and may I inherit all that You desire to give me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills. For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body — so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and we were all given one Spirit to drink. Indeed, the body is not one part but many… But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body… So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:8-14, 18-20, 26‬ ‭CSB)

This is a continuation of Paul’s explanation of the things of the Spirit that began at the beginning of this chapter. Here, Paul describes the manifestation grace gifts from the Spirit. In this list are nine manifestations that the Holy Spirit distributes to any and all Spirit-filled believer as He wills. These manifestations are not callings, ministries or inner motivations. They are manifestations that are given when needed. As you, a Spirit-filled believer, go through life led by the Spirit and walking in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will manifest Himself through you in these various ways when the need arises. If you are faced with a situation that needs wisdom beyond your capacity, the Holy Spirit will manifest through you the wisdom of God. If you are praying for someone and you need to know what you do not know, the Holy Spirit will manifest through you the knowledge of God. If someone needs healing, the Holy Spirit will manifest through you a gift of healing for that person. That is how the manifestation gifts of grace from the Spirit work. God the Father graces everyone with inner motivations that make up a part of who they essentially are. In my case, God the Father has graced me with a motivation to teach and administrate. God the Son, the Lord of the Church, graces some in the church with a ministry role to equip the members of the church for the work of ministry. Every Spirit-filled believer, as they go about doing the work of ministry, is able to have the Holy Spirit manifest in them specific graces when they need them.

All of these various God-given motivations, Christ-appointed ministries and Holy Spirit manifestations all work together in symphony to make up a highly effective body known as the Church. When we come to faith in Christ and the Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ, God the Father fits us perfectly in the body to contribute to the whole body out of what and who He created us to be. When all of us are joined together with our variety of motivations, ministerial callings, and diversities of backgrounds, we together become a beautiful expression of the manifold grace and glory of God. We aren’t called to a life of isolation and separation. We are called in Christ to be part of a beautiful symphonic body that works together in everything. There is no need to envy another’s giftings or ministry assignments, or to try to be something that we are not called or created to be. We simply shine forth with who we are uniquely created, called and graced to be – and together as a body, we accomplish God’s purposes for His glory.

Psalms: “Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:3-6‬ ‭CSB)

King David began this psalm by challenging the reader to not fret or be agitated by those who do evil, or to become envious of those who do wrong. I think Paul would extend that thought and say to us today to also not fret over those who are blessed differently than you or be envious of those who have a gift, talent or ministry that you don’t have. How do we keep ourselves from fret, agitation and envy? David tells us to trust in the Lord, dwell in the “land” where He has placed you, and feed on His faithfulness. In trusting in the Lord, we allow ourselves to be content with where He has placed us and His sufficient provision for us. David went on to say, “Take delight in the Lord.” The word translated as delight has to do with being pampered and lavished upon. Essentially, what David was saying was don’t go around taking what you want. Instead, trust the Lord and allow Him to lavish you with what He has for you – and you will come to find out that His lavish gifts are actually what your heart truly desires. When we trust in the Lord and commit our way to Him, He will make us gloriously righteous, defend us, and do right by us. The Lord God has created each and everyone of us. He is the one who crafted us and placed in us the things that motivate us and bring us joy. Instead of comparing ourselves to others and being envious, we need to trust that God has good for us that has been crafted specifically to fulfill us in every way. We just need to trust Him to place us, use us, grace us and fill us in the way that is best for us. If we trust Him to do that and commit ourselves to His ways, oh how delighted and radiant we will be.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You created me on purpose for a purpose. I thank You that I was created uniquely to be specifically fit into Your body to display Your glory in a way that no one else can. I also thank You that You do not expect me to accomplish all of Your purposes on my own. In fact, You have made it impossible for me to accomplish all that You have purposed for me on my own. I need the body of Christ just as much as the body of Christ needs me. Help me to not be envious of others’ positions or privileges, but instead trust You and allow You to radiate Your glory through me as I find my fit in Your body. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.”” (‭‭Esther‬ ‭4:13-16‬ ‭CSB)

At this point in the story, Esther (her Jewish name was Hadassah) had become queen and Haman (the King’s right-hand man) had initiated a genocidal plot to kill all of the Jews. Up to this point, Mordecai (Esther’s older cousin and adopted father) had instructed Esther to keep her Jewish ethnicity a secret, but now the time had come to reveal who she was for the sake of her people. For anyone (Queen included) to approach the King uninvited, the result was death – unless the King showed favor and extended his royal staff. When Esther informed Mordecai of the dangers of approaching the King uninvited, Mordecai, instead of becoming discouraged, was filled with faith. Mordecai knew, by a gift of faith, that God would not allow His people to be destroyed. Mordecai knew that God would deliver His people, whether Esther accepted the call or not. In faith, Mordecai reminded Esther that she was Queen because God had put her there for a purpose… and it was apparent that the purpose was to deliver her people from annihilation. Stirred by Mordecai’s faith, Esther stepped out in faith and willingly placed her life in God’s hand as she risked her life for the sake of her people. Though God is able to do anything, He has chosen to accomplish His purposes on earth through people. In order to accomplish His purposes, He makes gifts of willing people by calling them into action, and then equipping those people with gifts that are beyond their ability. God desired to use Mordecai and Esther to accomplish His purposes. What Mordecai and Esther needed at that time was great faith. So God gave them both a gift of faith – and through their faith, Mordecai and Esther became gifts of God to the Jewish people.

NT: “Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you used to be enticed and led astray by mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good:” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:1-7‬ ‭CSB)

Paul needed to make sure that the Corinthian church understood how the Holy Spirit worked. The phrase “spiritual gifts” is actually one word in the Greek: pneumatikos. Pneumatikos means pertaining to the spirit… So Paul was saying, concerning things that pertained to the Spirit (not just spiritual gifts), he did not want the Corinthian church (nor us) to be unaware, ignorant or mistaken. Firstly, the Holy Spirit is not like the spirits that inhabit the worship of idols which entice you into things against your will. The Holy Spirit does not possess and overpower a person. He inhabits and empowers a person. Secondly, the Holy Spirit will always glorify God and attest to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Paul then went on to explain gifts specifically. The word for gifts is the Greek word ‘charisma.’ Charis is the Greek word for grace, so charisma means a gift of grace. Paul said that there are distinct distributions of grace, and he went on to describe three distinct types of grace gifts that all come from the same spirit. We know God to be three distinct personalities that are all united as One: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each of these three personalities distribute distinct types of graces – and all types of grace gifts work together in unity under the same spirit. Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Church and the type of grace gifts that He distributes are different ministries. Paul describes those ministry graces in detail in Ephesians 4:11-12. God the Father distributes to each person different activities or motivations (energema in the Greek). Paul lists out those various motivating graces from God the Father in Romans 12:6-8. Finally, the Holy Spirit graces each and every Spirit-filled believer with needed manifestations that are not to be used for personal gain, but for the benefit of others. The next few verses of 1 Corinthians 12 are used to describe those manifestations of the Spirit in greater detail.

Prayer: Lord, what an honor it is to be used by You to accomplish Your purposes on earth. What a relief it is to know that You don’t expect me to accomplish those purposes in my own strength and abilities. I thank You, that as I make myself available to You, You grace me with spiritual gifts to then be a spiritual gift to others. Therefore, I yield myself to You and expect You to grace me with what I need as I walk in obedience to Your purposes. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:23-26‬ ‭CSB)

Over time, the Corinthian church had begun to treat the Lord’s Supper very casually and inappropriately, so Paul reminded them of the purpose of partaking the Lord’s Supper together. By reminding the Corinthian church, he taught us. Firstly, Jesus directed us to partake of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him. What are we supposed to remember? We are to remember that His body was bruised, whipped and broken for us. “He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by his wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). Jesus took the punishment that we deserved and died the death that we should have died. When we take and eat the bread of the Lord’s Supper, we remember what Jesus did for us and symbolically receive its benefit. We are also to remember that Jesus’ blood was shed for us. His blood was the price of redemption for our souls. With His blood, He bought us back from sin and death that held us in bondage, and sealed a new covenant of freedom and eternal life in His name. When we drink the cup of the Lord’s supper, we remember what Christ’s shed blood did for us and symbolically receive His life that He gave for us.

Secondly, Paul taught that we also proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again. What does that mean to proclaim the Lord’s death? We don’t proclaim that the Lord is dead, for He is no longer dead – but alive. By proclaiming the Lord’s death, we proclaim all that the Lord’s death provided. We proclaim the victory that Jesus claimed and secured on the cross. We proclaim that we are forever free from the bondages to sin and death through our faith in Christ. We proclaim that we no longer belong to the kingdom of darkness and now are citizens in the Kingdom of God. We proclaim that because Christ bore our condemnation, as we are in Him, we are no longer under condemnation. We proclaim that our sinful selves were nailed to the cross with Christ, and that we are now dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. The Lord’s Supper is not meant to be a memorial service, but a time of thanksgiving, dedication and praise for all that Christ accomplished for us on the cross.

Psalms: “Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your judgments like the deepest sea. Lord, you preserve people and animals. How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They are filled from the abundance of your house. You let them drink from your refreshing stream. For the wellspring of life is with you. By means of your light we see light.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36:6-9‬ ‭CSB)

The Lord’s righteousness (justice and right-ness) is as steadfast and immovable as the highest mountains, and His judgements (decrees and decisions) are as inexhaustible and full of life as the deepest oceans. Yet, as awesome and wonderful as the Lord is, He still preserves His lowly creation and saves His people. In fact, God so loved the world that He gave His Son that the world, through Him, could be saved. When contemplating the wickedness of humanity, David remembered the goodness and faithfulness of God… and when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we do the same. After remembering the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord, David proclaimed the benefits that he and the people of God shared as they placed their trust in Him. When we fully honor and place our faith in the Lord, He protects us under His wings, He fills us with the never-ending abundance of His house, He refreshes us with the living water that flows from His throne, He causes rivers of living water to bubble up from within us by the Holy Spirit, and He guides us through the darkness with His light. If that was true of David’s life before the cross – how much more is that true of us who are now partakers of God’s new covenant sealed in Christ’s blood? We remember the love of Christ and proclaim the benefits we now have in Him.

Prayer: Lord, Your faithful love, steadfastness, righteousness and decrees are altogether wonderful and amazing. What You accomplished for me, and all of humanity, through Your death and resurrection is humbling and astounding. I don’t want to ever treat what You have done for me with casual disregard and ungratefulness. I thank You for the opportunity You provided to both remember what You have done and proclaim what You have accomplished through the communion of the Lord’s Supper. As I partake, help me to remember and fully live in all that You have won for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalms: “Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven, your faithfulness to the clouds.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36:5‬ ‭CSB)

The title/description of this psalm in the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is “Human Wickedness and God’s Love.” Today is Easter Sunday… Resurrection Sunday. What better day is there to write about God’s love in the midst of human wickedness. David wrote that the Lord’s faithful love reaches to heaven. The Hebrew word translated as “faithful love” in the CSB is the word ‘checed.’ Checed is God’s zealous mercy, goodness and faithful covenantal love towards us. While God only gives His grace to those who honor Him, He has checed for everyone. By saying that the Lord’s faithful love reaches to heaven, David was saying that the Lord’s checed is as vast and immeasurable as the universe. In all of humanity’s advancements in science and technology, no one has reached the limits of the universe nor explored its vast depths – and the Lord’s goodness and faithful love is more vast and unending than that. David also said that the Lord’s faithfulness reaches to the clouds. The Hebrew word for faithfulness means steadfastness and fidelity. The Lord is steadfastly faithful to His word – and just like the clouds, His faithfulness covers the earth. It was from the clouds that God gave a sign of His covenant with all mankind in the form of a rainbow – and God is faithful to His covenant until the end of the age. God promised to bless the nations of the world through the family of Abraham and His promise was fulfilled to all the world through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

In the 3rd chapter of John, Jesus explained to Nicodemus that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son so that everyone (sinners and righteous alike) who believed in Him would have eternal life. Paul later wrote this in the 5th Chapter of Romans: “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:8-10‬ ‭CSB) Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Son, the faithful love of God was expressed and the faithfulness of God was fulfilled. Through Jesus’ death, all who believe are redeemed from sin and reconciled to God. Through Jesus’ resurrection, all who believe are saved from sin and death and given new life in Christ. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Lord, what David wrote thousands of years ago still rings true today. Your faithful love to all humanity is immeasurable and unending. Your steadfast faithfulness to Your word covers all. I thank you that even when I was a sinner and unworthy of salvation, because of Your faithful love, You sent Jesus to live the life that I should have lived and die the death that I should have died in my place. I also thank You that through Christ’s resurrection, I too can have new life in Him through faith. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe – so I give my all to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “At that time I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in stores of grain and loading them on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day. The Tyrians living there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem. I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil you are doing — profaning the Sabbath day? Didn’t your ancestors do the same, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling his anger against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!” When shadows began to fall on the city gates of Jerusalem just before the Sabbath, I gave orders that the city gates be closed and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my men at the gates, so that no goods could enter during the Sabbath day… Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the city gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, my God, and look on me with compassion according to the abundance of your faithful love.” (‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭13:15-19, 22‬ ‭CSB)

During Nehemiah’s time away, not only did the religious leaders allow the temple to become defiled, but the people forsook the Sabbath and also returned to their practice of marrying pagan wives. Nehemiah couldn’t let that continue unchallenged. He was zealous for the Lord’s word, will and ways, and was thus zealous for the sanctity and holiness of the Lord’s people. Nehemiah warned the people and explained why their actions needed to stop – but he didn’t just use his words. Nehemiah’s zeal led him to action. He took practical steps to put an end to sinful practices and reform the people’s way of life.

True reformation requires more than just words – it requires action. Genuine repentance from sin and unrighteousness requires more than just feeling sorry – it requires a change in behavior. It can be easy for us to hear a moving sermon and feel convicted, or watch a stirring documentary and become angry at injustice and think that we have repented or reformed our lives. But it isn’t until action occurs, born out of our zealous love for the Lord and His word, will and ways, that true repentance and reform has occurred. Wanting to walk righteously and actually walking righteously are two different things. In order to move from mental ascent and desire to action, we must obey by grace through faith, born out of a zealous desire to honor the Lord. For us to remain in the world but not of it – for us to be the Church, the called-out people of God – for us to truly be the expression of the gospel and the glory of God, we need to be zealous for the Lord and all that He desires to do in us and through us – to the point of action.

Prayer: Lord, help me to not fall prey to the deception that just because I know what Your word says and agree with what your Word says, that I am actually living according to Your word, will and ways. Just as Jesus was zealous for Your house, I want to be zealous for Your house – Your house that is my body and Your house that is the Church. Help me to not just hear and agree, but apply and do Your word by grace through faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “Now before this, the priest Eliashib had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was a relative of Tobiah and had prepared a large room for him where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, and the tenths of grain, new wine, and fresh oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests. While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. It was only later that I asked the king for a leave of absence so I could return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of God’s house. I was greatly displeased and threw all of Tobiah’s household possessions out of the room. I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored there, along with the grain offering and frankincense.” (‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭13:4-9‬ ‭CSB)

Nehemiah’s time as Governor of Judea was temporary. Once his allotted time was up, he had to return to Babylon and his position as cupbearer to the King. Even though Nehemiah left people in authority to carry on where he left off, apparently the men who were left in leadership did not share his same level of conviction. Nature abhors a vacuum and will rush in to fill any emptiness. In the same way, the kingdom of darkness loves a leadership vacuum and will rush in and fill gaps with disorder. Eliashib was the High Priest at the time and carried the responsibility of keeping the temple undefiled and in order. Unfortunately, there was mixture in Eliashib’s life. Someone in his family had married into the Amalekites – and because of that, he had family ties to Tobiah. Apparently, Eliashib must have believed in the adage “blood is thicker than water.” Because of the mixture in his own life and his stronger commitment to family than the holiness of the temple, he allowed Tobiah to move into the temple of God and take up residence – siphoning off monies from the Temple offerings. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, he was greatly displeased and kicked Tobiah out of the Temple at once.

During creation, God rescued the earth from chaos and disorder and established peace and order. He set up a hierarchy of authority and gave dominion of the earth to mankind. God is a God of order, and His order includes lines of authority and roles of leadership. As leaders remain submitted to God as the supreme authority, God’s peace and order will remain. As soon as delegated leaders come out from under God’s authority or shirk their responsibilities, the chaos and disorder of the kingdom of darkness will move in and take up residence. There is never a time to be lax in guarding over what has been entrusted to us. If we grow lax in our leadership responsibilities, before you know it, the enemy will move in, take up residence, and drain us of the blessings God intends for us. Keeping our lives holy… keeping our families holy… keeping our church holy requires conviction, a lack of mixture, and unwavering diligence by the grace of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

NT: “But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ… In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:3, 11-12‬ ‭CSB)

God’s kingdom is a kingdom with lines of authority. That hierarchy of authority is there to keep peace and promote order. Everyone in God’s kingdom is under authority to someone with God the Father at the top of the hierarchy. Authority is not a measure of equality, but a delineation of roles. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all equally God, but the Son is under the authority of the Father, and the Spirit is directed by the Father and the Son. In God’s wisdom, He has set up a hierarchy of authority from heaven to earth. God the Father is head of Christ, Christ is head of man, and man is head of woman. Again, that has nothing to do with equality, but rather role, covering and service. In God’s kingdom, authority isn’t rulership… it isn’t something that one uses to rule over another. In God’s kingdom, authority is service: the more authority you have, the more you are called to serve those who are positioned under your care, protection and leadership. Jesus taught that the One with the greatest authority is servant of all. Man is not better than woman, nor is woman less than man. Both equally need each other – and in the Lord, both are of equal value and importance with different roles. All people and all roles of authority come from God. When people begin mistreating their roles of authority, or when people begin sidestepping or usurping God-given authority, chaos and disorder will move in and take up residence.

Prayer: God, I thank You that You are a God of peace and order. I thank You, that in Your hierarchy of authority I am under the care and leadership of some – and You have also entrusted me with leadership over others. Help me, by your grace through faith, to trust in, submit to, and fully serve within that prophetic alignment – that my life and the lives of all within my sphere of influence may be blessed with Your order, safety and peace. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:31-33‬ ‭CSB)

The city of Corinth was still a pagan city, with people actively offering animal sacrifices to pagan gods every day. Paul gave the Corinthian church some instructions for how to navigate buying food and eating food in that environment – where the meat that you bought in a market or the food offered to you as a guest could have been offered as a sacrifice to an idol. This passage referenced above got to the point of what Paul was communicating: how we treat food, how we treat drink, how we consider others… everything we do should be done in a way that brings glory to God. In bringing glory to God, we do everything possible to not offend anyone. Our primary goal as the people of God is not to defend and demand our rights and privileges, but to glorify God’s name and character, and preach and demonstrate the gospel of the Kingdom to as many as we can. If we go through life seeking our own benefit, we communicate a message that is contrary to the gospel and we present God in a defamatory way.

I can’t speak about the church in the rest of the world, but I can speak about the church in the United States. We have allowed “Christianity” in the U.S. to become synonymous with a political movement where we rally for conservative causes more than we proclaim the gospel of the kingdom – where we demand our rights more than we consider the needs and challenges of others – where we glorify our constitution more than we glorify the God of the word. We have forsaken Paul’s charge to give no offense, but instead post divisive and sometimes offensive statements because we have the right in America to say whatever we want to say. My pastor recently tweeted something that speaks to the current state of the church in America: “If the Church will repent and rise up now, the game changes. If the Church remains the same, the game is over. Nothing short of repentance, revival and reformation will do” (Pastor Dale Evrist). In rising up, we don’t rise up as a political force. We rise to meet the upward call that God has given to the Church through His Son Jesus Christ: to be the expression of the gospel of the Kingdom and the glory of God here on earth, to see souls saved and disciples made by giving our lives sacrificially in worship, just as Christ gave His life for us. Let us be the Church that God is building and do everything for the Glory of God and the good of others.

Prayer: Lord, Your upward call for me is to be an expression of the gospel of the Kingdom and a carrier of Your glory on earth. You have called me to do everything by Your grace for the glory of God and the good of others. Just as You lovingly and sacrificially gave Your life for my good and the glory of the Father, so I lovingly present my body as a living sacrifice of worship to You – dedicated for Your kingdom purposes and plans. My life is not my own. It belongs to You. Help me, by Your grace, to live according to Your call. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalms: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry for help. The face of the Lord is set against those who do what is evil, to remove all memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit. One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all. He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken. Evil brings death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished. The Lord redeems the life of his servants, and all who take refuge in him will not be punished.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:15-22‬ ‭CSB)

A common theme throughout scripture is that God gives grace to the humble, but resists the proud. David described that same truth here: God pays special attention to the righteous (those who rightly live by submitting to the word, will and ways of God), but His face is turned away and set against those who do evil. Historically, those who have set their face against the Lord and against His people have not fared well. Think of all the empires over the course of human history that have set their faces against Israel or the Church. Those empires are no more, but the people of God are still standing. When God’s righteous people cry out, He hears them and rescues them from their troubles.

Choosing to walk with the Lord is not a guarantee of a trouble-free life. Anyone that tells you that a life with Christ is trouble-free is not being honest with you. David said that one who has chosen to walk righteously will face many adversities. Jesus told His disciples that in this world, you will have trouble. But then Jesus said to take heart and be courageous, for in Him we would have peace because He had overcome the world (John 16:33). No matter the adversities or the adversaries that come your way, as you trust in the Lord and submit yourself to Him, He will rescue you from all of them. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and delivers those whose spirit has been crushed to powder. He redeems and rescues those who are His servants… who are humbly submitted to His word, will and ways – and all who take refuge in Him by faith will escape condemnation.

Prayer: Lord, I know that a life in Your footsteps is not an easy life – but it is a graced life. I thank You, that as I remain in You by faith and obedience, I have Your promise that You will remain with me. If I remain in You – because You overcame the world, I too can overcome the world. I thank You, that You see me, You hear me, and You grace me for all the adversities that are thrown my way. Let troubles have their perfect work in me – to grow me and mature me, as I remain in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.